This invention relates to a connector terminal used in a flat wire member connector for electrically connecting a flat cable, a ribbon wire, a FPC (flexible printed circuit) or like flat wire member, in which flat rectangular conductors are arrayed side by side, with a circuit board or the like and also to a method for producing such a connector terminal.
There has been generally known a flat wire member connector comprised of a female connector housing (hereinafter, merely xe2x80x9chosingxe2x80x9d) which accommodates a plurality of connector terminals (hereinafter, merely xe2x80x9cterminalsxe2x80x9d) side by side and in which conductors of a flat wire member are brought into contact with the terminals by connecting a mating connector housing mounted at an end of the flat wire member with the housing.
Besides the connectors of the above type that the connector housings are connected with each other, there are also connectors of such a type that the conductors of the flat wire member are brought into contact with the terminals by inserting the end of the flat wire member into the housing with a plate-shaped member called a slider (supporting member) placed on the end portion of the flat wire member.
In the field of the above flat wire member connectors, a two-direction connection type provided with insertion openings for flat wire member at both front and rear sides has also been developed. For example, such a connector is expected to be of utility value in the case that a plurality of electric modules are connected in a chain.
The flat wire member connector of the two-direction connection type includes terminals each having contact portions at its front and rear sides and provided in the housing having the insertion openings at the front and rear sides. When the flat wire members are inserted through the respective insertion openings, the conductors of the respective flat wire members are brought into contact with the respective contact portions, whereby corresponding pairs of the conductors of the two flat wire members are connected with each other via the common terminals and the respective conductors are electrically connected with a circuit board or the like.
In the flat wire member connector of this type, the terminals are generally inserted into the respective cavities from front or behind and are held in the housing by having part thereof pressed and locked in fixing holes or the like formed in the housing. Concerning this point, there is one problem in the flat wire member connector of the two-direction connection type. Specifically, the terminal used in the flat wire member connector of the two-direction connection type is easily deflectable since having a long and narrow shape provided with a pair of contact portions at the front and rear sides. Thus, during the insertion of the terminal into the housing, the contact portions may undergo a plastic deformation upon being subjected to a compression load particularly while part of the terminal is pressed into the fixing hole. As a result, a contact failure or other problem may occur later.
Accordingly, it is desired to solve this problem in respect of construction. Further, in a small-size connector, it is difficult to insert the terminals since the terminals are also smaller. This point also needs to be solved.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector terminal and a connector terminal producing method which are free from the problems residing in the prior art.
According to an aspect of the invention, a connector terminal comprises a press-in portion extending in forward and backward directions and be pressed into a fixing hole formed in a connector housing from the front end side thereof, and a pair of front and rear contact portions provided at positions vertically displaced from the press-in portion to be brought into contact with the flat wire members. The contact portions are joined to the press-in portion via a portion between the contact portions.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.